Secretary Shinseki Announces $17 Million in Homeless Grants

WASHINGTON (Oct. 6, 2009) - Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K.
Shinseki has announced that 19 states, the District of Columbia and
Puerto Rico will share more than $17 million in grants to community
groups to create 1,155 beds for homeless Veterans this year.

"These grants will aid our efforts to eliminate homelessness among those
who have served in uniform," said Secretary Shinseki. "Our partnerships
with community-based organizations provide safe, transitional housing
while these Veterans leverage VA's health care and other benefits to
return to productive lives."

A key tool in VA's drive to eliminate homelessness among Veterans, the
grants helped VA reduce the number of Veterans who are homeless on a
typical night last year by 15 percent to about 131,000 Veterans.

In other programs, VA provides health care to 100,000 homeless Veterans,
compensation and assistance in obtaining foreclosed homes and excess
federal property, including clothes, footwear, blankets and other items.

That includes the Health Care for Homeless Veterans Program operating
from 132 sites to provide outreach, physical and psychiatric
examinations and referrals for more than 40,000 Veterans annually, while
2,100 beds in VA domiciliaries provide treatment to more than 5,000
Veterans each year.

In addition, VA partners with volunteers and community organizations to
serve tens of thousands of Veterans each year through "stand downs"
offering Veterans who often are living lives in the shadows access to
basic services and referrals.

VA works with a variety of federal agencies and Veterans organizations
not only to mitigate and eliminate homelessness but toward a goal of
preventing its occurrence in the first place.

VA's goal is to have a "no wrong door" phenomena, meaning Veterans who
seek assistance should find it either in VA internal programs, from
community partners or through contract services.

In terms of dollars and number of Veterans served, VA has the largest
integrated network of homeless assistance programs in the nation. In
fiscal year 2009, VA expected to spend $2.8 billion to provide health
care and specialized homeless programs, with an anticipated $400 million
increase in the budget for fiscal year 2010.

VA social workers and clinicians work with community and faith-based
partners to conduct extensive outreach programs, clinical assessments,
medical treatments, alcohol and drug abuse counseling and employment
assistance.

More information about VA's homeless programs is available on the
Internet at http://www.va.gov/homeless. The list of recipients is
below.

Recipients of VA Grants for Homeless Veterans

State

City

Recipients

Amount

Program

Ariz.

Tucson

Esperanza En Escalante

$450,938

10 beds

Calif.

Adelanto

Life Community Development

$227,240

12 beds, 1 van

Los Angeles

Volunteers of America

$506,108

48 beds

Colo.

Aurora

Aurora Comprehensive Community Mental Health

$46,706

15 beds

Denver

Bo Mathews Center for Excellence

$362,798

16 beds, 1 van

Denver

Volunteers of America

$72,327

8 beds

Conn.

New London

New London Homeless Hospitality Center

$130,627

8 beds

D.C.

Washington

US Veterans Initiative

$942,500

85 beds

Fla.

Orlando

Center for Drug Free Living

$1,049,257

28 beds, 1 van

St. Cloud

Transition House

$275,925

4 beds

St. Petersburg

Boley Centers

$94,015

13 beds

Tamp

Tampa Crossroads

$500,370

16 beds, 1 van

Ga.

Augusta

Augusta Steppingstones to Recovery

$499,070

16 beds, 1 van

Kan.

Emporia

Corner House.

$308,295

18 beds,

Ky.

Hopkinsville

Pennyroyal Mental Health and Mental Retardation Center

$1,604,714

50 beds

Mich.

Detroit

Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries

$932,500

60 beds, 1 van

Southfield

The Salvation Army

$1,241,289

34 beds

Southfield

The Salvation Army

$962,000

30 beds

Southfield

The Salvation Army

$397,289

30 beds

Mo.

Kansas City

The Salvation Army

$656,110

30 beds

N.M.

Las Cruces

Mesilla Valley Community of Hope

$180,750

22 beds, 1 van

N.Y.

Avon

Zion Episcopal Church

$96,015

6 beds

Bronx

Everywhere and Now Public Housing

$158,715

61 beds

Bronx

Everywhere and Now Public Housing

$188,500

84 beds

Schenectady

The Altamont Program, Inc

$46,332

12 beds

N.C.

Ridgecrest

First at Blue Ridge, Inc.

$125,813

10 beds

Ore.

Eugene

Sponsors, Inc.

$506,527

10 beds

Pa.

Philadelphia

Diversified Housing Solutions, Inc.

$436,020

30 beds

Pittsburgh

Community Human Services Corporation

$8,642

10 beds

Puerto

Rico

Aguadilla

Casa Del Peregrino Aguadilla, Inc.

$75,433

12 beds

S.C.

Wagner

Christ Central Ministries

$1,592,500

96 beds

Tenn.

Hohenwald

Buffalo Valley, Inc.

$142,350

14 beds

Texas

Houston

Forest Lawn Missionary Baptist Church

$169,361

25 beds, 1 van

Houston

Spiller Personal Care Home, Inc.

$1,900,000

184 beds,1 van

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